Westmoreland category, Page 444
Minor crash landing temporarily closes runway at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport
The main runway at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity was closed for over an hour Monday after a small airplane crash landed after its landing gear failed to deploy. The accident occurred at 1 p.m. Airport emergency vehicles and area fire vehicles were still on the scene at 2:20...
Fayette priest pleads no contest to sexually assaulting altar boy; Greensburg bishop working to remove him from priesthood
A Fayette County priest pleaded no contest Monday to charges of repeatedly assaulting an altar boy over three years at a parish in Fairchance, according to state Attorney General Josh Shapiro. Rev. Andrew M. Kawecki, 66, entered his plea to one count of indecent assault. Judge Linda Cordova is expected...
Driver hurt after pickup slams into New Stanton chiropractic center porch
A man was taken to the hospital Monday after crashing into the New Stanton Chiropractic Center. New Stanton Fire Second Lt. Craig Bromke said the driver of a pickup truck was taken from the scene by ambulance. The truck slammed into the front of the building on West Pennsylvania Avenue...
Penn Township Ambulance offers free car seat safety inspections
Penn Township Ambulance will offer free car seat safety inspections Monday. The event will be from 1 to 3 p.m. at the station, 1030 Sandy Hill Road, Irwin. Parents/caregivers can have their car seat reviewed to make sure it is the safest selection for a child’s age and weight and...
Jeannette officials ink agreement with MAWC to address flooding issues
Jeannette officials have approved agreements with the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County, permitting work to dig up a sports field in exchange for addressing flooding issues in about a dozen homes. The $11 million project, approved in 2019, is expected to start sometime in 2022 and last about a year....
Peck seeks to fight off Ziccarelli challenge in Westmoreland district attorney race
For the first time in a quarter century, Westmoreland County District Attorney John Peck has a race on his hands. Republican Nicole Ziccarelli, fresh off a razor-thin defeat in a bid for state Senate last fall, insists it’s time to change leadership in the county prosecutor’s office. “I respect the...
After one-year hiatus, ‘witches’ return to Ligonier
Bicycles, buses and maybe even brooms were the preferred mode of transportation Sunday in Ligonier, as more than 1,200 “witches” from the region gathered for the town’s fifth annual Witches Bike Brigade event. Since it was created as a pre-Halloween event for women in 2016, the daylong festival offers a...
Westmoreland County sheriff takes dispute over inmate medical transports to court
Westmoreland County Sheriff James Albert is taking a dispute with the county’s prison board to common pleas court. The sheriff and the prison board are sparring over a requirement that sheriff’s deputies transport sick inmates to and from the county jail for medical treatment. In a lawsuit filed Friday, Albert...
Hempfield looking to staffing and incentive programs for fire department
In an effort to avoid actually hiring a firefighter, Hempfield officials want to offer money to spur volunteers to respond to emergencies and regularly report to fire stations. The goal of the staffing and incentive programs is to bolster responses from volunteers and avoid a potential morale sting of bringing...
Pole problems delay wrap-up of traffic signal upgrades in Greensburg, Hempfield
PennDOT has completed most of the work on updating 18 traffic signals in Greensburg and Hempfield, but more work is needed at the intersection of Main and Otterman in downtown Greensburg. Work also is continuing on upgrading traffic signals along a stretch of Route 30 in Hempfield and Jeannette. The...
Acting office holder, coach face off in rookie campaigns for Westmoreland Clerk of Courts
Megan Loughner was on a different career path in 2010 when she went to work for Bryan Kline, the newly elected Westmoreland County Clerk of Courts. Loughner was 24 with aspirations to work as an intelligence officer. She was awaiting a final job offer with the U.S. Department of Justice...
‘Here I am 100 years later’: As more seniors live longer, these centenarians share stories of hardship, humor and humilityVideo
Marion Yates lived the first 10 years of her life without electricity. Frank Pugliano Sr. had one of the first television sets in his neighborhood. Elijah Gardner grew up on a Southern plantation that his father operated for a white family. All three are centenarians, people who have lived 100...
Rain fails to dampen memories of bidders during Ligonier Beach auction
Steady rain fell Saturday morning as Hempfield native Jason Anthony piled box after box of stainless steel cookware and serving trays into the bed of his pickup at the now-defunct Ligonier Beach swimming pool and restaurant complex. Still, he managed a smile. Anthony, 51, smiled recalling the “hours and hours...
5 vie for Hempfield Area school board
Hempfield Area voters will determine the fate of five candidates seeking four school board seats in next month’s election. The pool is made up of three incumbents, all of whom are cross-filed with both parties, and two newcomers. “I’m excited for the people that are on the board,” said newcomer...
Police, first responders vie for votes in K-9 grant contest
K-9 units in Westmoreland County are among those seeking votes from supporters in a competition for $5,000 grants. Aftermath, a national company that specializes in bio-hazard remediation, is offering the police dog grants to U.S. law enforcement agencies or first responders who receive the most votes in categories determined by...
Greensburg council race see GOP incumbents facing challenge from VOW-backed Democrats
Two Republican incumbents hope to keep their seats on Greensburg City Council as they face off against two Democratic challengers in the Nov. 2 general election. Council members Gregory Mertz and Donnie Zappone Jr. will face newcomers Ceil Kessler and Yukie King, who are both backed by Voice of Westmoreland,...
Fire destroys Greensburg house, damages neighboring one
A state police fire marshal and Greensburg fire investigators are looking into the cause of a fire in the city early Saturday that destroyed a two-story house and damaged a second home. Four occupants of the two homes were displaced as a result of the blaze. It was reported just...
Monster bash: Jeannette readies for another Halloween parade
Green-hued monsters, even those of the meticulously constructed paper-craft kind, will be on display and in the running for cash prizes next week in the Jeannette Halloween Parade. “It was always a really nice parade,” said co-organizer Nancy Peters, who has joined forces with fellow Jeannette Councilwoman Robin Mozley. The...
Westmoreland district attorney race sees challenger Ziccarelli outspend Peck 9-to-1
Nicole Ziccarelli, the Republican candidate with designs on unseating six-term Westmoreland County District Attorney John Peck, holds a substantial edge in campaign fundraising and spending heading into the Nov. 2 election. The lastest campaign finance reports, filed Friday, show Ziccarelli since June has spent more than $141,000 — an amount...
$10K reward offered in Cassandra Gross disappearance
Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers is offering a $10,000 reward for information that helps investigators solve the disappearance of Cassandra Gross. Anyone with tips for police can remain anonymous. Gross, 51, was last seen April 7, 2018. She called her mother while driving on Route 30 to her home in Unity after having...
Murrysville couple charged with bilking CARES Act of $220K via rental relief money-laundering scheme
A Murrysville couple arrested Friday morning is accused of bilking the federal government of more than $220,000 in coronavirus-related relief money by filing false claims for rental assistance — including for units that were unoccupied and uninhabitable in the name of fake renters in need, police said. Devon Lane, 29,...
Monessen man to serve 10 to 20 years in prison for rape of a child
A Monessen man will serve up to 20 years in prison for the rape of a preteen. Quentin Timothy Simpson, 24, pleaded guilty Friday to charges of rape, indecent assault and other offenses in connection with a sexual assault last year. According to court records, police said Simpson showed pornographic...
Halloween happenings around Westmoreland County
Irwin The Irwin Halloween Costume Par-tay for adults age 21 and older will feature food, music provided by AJ Entertainment and karaoke singing from 7 to 10:30 p.m. Saturday at the Masonic Hall, 415 Main St., Irwin. The event is BYOB. Tickets are $12 per person plus fees through Eventbrite,...
Police: Road rage leads to confrontation at Latrobe gas station
Latrobe police are investigating a road rage incident involving two motorists who drove into town Thursday evening. Police Chief John Sleasman said it isn’t clear what started the conflict, which began as the two vehicles were on Route 981, heading south into the city from Derry Township. “They got angry...
Officials toast Jeannette Glass site’s transformation to cryogenic testing facility
Friday will be one of the memorable days in Jason Rigone’s career. He has seen the former Jeannette Glass site transform into Elliott Group’s $60 million cryogenic pump test stand and experienced the behind-the-scenes work to make it happen for years as a member of the Westmoreland County planning department...
